PostHole
Compose
Login
Tooth and Claw: Praying Mantises
Investigating an insect known for eating its prey alive – including, at times, its own species - the praying mantis! With bulging eyes and a triangular head, this predator uses it specially adapted front legs to trap its prey. Able to predate animals of a size much larger than themselves, including birds, lizards and even fish, presenter Adam Hart hears about their cultural significance to human populations all around the world, as well as addressing their reputation for sexual cannibalism. We also hear about their biomaterial qualities and potential importance in agriculture, and also look into a parasitic relationship the praying mantis has with a worm in South America which has given them the name ‘the mother of snakes’.Contributors:Dr. Julio Rivera, entomologist and researcher at the Université de Montréal in Canada and research associate at the Montréal Insectarium.Dr. Bianca Greyvenstein, postdoctoral fellow at North-West University in Potchefstroom and an expert in the praying mantises of South Africa.Presenter: Professor Adam Hart
Producer: Jonathan Blackwell(Photo: Praying Mantis, Credit: Paul Starosta via Getty Images)
Accessibility links
BBC World Service
Discovery
- Discovery Home
- Episodes
- Galleries
- Podcast
- Join us on Facebook
Main content
Listen now
Tooth and Claw: Praying Mantises
Discovery
An insect known for eating its prey alive – including, at times, its own species! With bulging eyes and a triangular head, it uses specially adapted front legs to trap its prey.
Investigating an insect known for eating its prey alive – including, at times, its own species - the praying mantis! With bulging eyes and a triangular head, this predator uses it specially adapted front legs to trap its prey.
Able to predate animals of a size much larger than themselves, including birds, lizards and even fish, presenter Adam Hart hears about their cultural significance to human populations all around the world, as well as addressing their reputation for sexual cannibalism. We also hear about their biomaterial qualities and potential importance in agriculture, and also look into a parasitic relationship the praying mantis has with a worm in South America which has given them the name ‘the mother of snakes’.
Contributors:
Dr. Julio Rivera, entomologist and researcher at the Université de Montréal in Canada and research associate at the Montréal Insectarium.
Dr. Bianca Greyvenstein, postdoctoral fellow at North-West University in Potchefstroom and an expert in the praying mantises of South Africa.
Presenter: Professor Adam Hart
Producer: Jonathan Blackwell
(Photo: Praying Mantis, Credit: Paul Starosta via Getty Images)
###
####
Higher quality (128kbps)
Lower quality (64kbps)
Available now
26 minutes
Last on
Tue 5 Aug 2025
17:32GMT
Live News
More episodes
Previous
Next
The Life Scientific: Anthony Fauci
See all episodes from Discovery
Featured
####
Broadcasts
Mon 28 Jul 2025
19:32GMT
BBC World Service
Mon 28 Jul 2025
22:32GMT
BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East
Tue 29 Jul 2025
04:32GMT
BBC World Service Australasia, Americas and the Caribbean, South Asia & East Asia only
Space
The eclipses, spacecraft and astronauts changing our view of the Universe
The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry
[The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry]
A pair of scientific sleuths answer your perplexing questions. Ask them anything!
Podcast
Discovery
Explorations in the world of science.
Similar programmes
By genre:
- Factual > Science & Nature
By format:
Magazines & Reviews
[BBC World Service homepage]
News in more than 40 languages